Image provided by KFC.
KFC recently brought its marketing leaders together from 14 global business units for its 2026 Market Planning Meetings (MPMs), a multi-day event designed to align teams behind one bold ambition: accelerate growth and battle for the future consumer.
The week’s events and presentations showcased the power of KFC’s global scale fueled by local creativity and franchise partnerships. Together, they tasted flavors from every continent but Antarctica, shared best practices from winning campaigns and mapped the way forward for the original chicken brand in 2026.
Big ideas that move the brand
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the team shared how a bold brand platform, “Believe in Chicken,” helped reset the business and reconnect with consumers.
In a “mad world,” the campaign positions KFC as something real and reliable. Instead of traditional food advertising, it leans into humor, cultural commentary and entertainment to stand out. The platform now anchors everything from brand campaigns to new menu item launches, helping drive transaction growth and return the business to momentum.
In Australia, KFC is taking an equally powerful approach with “Go Full Chicken.”
The campaign is rooted in the brand’s heritage, especially highlighting founder Colonel Sanders’ obsession with making chicken the hard way, and brings that to life with bold, playful storytelling. It celebrates what it means to “go full chicken,” from over-the-top fan behaviors to the brand’s commitment to fresh, hand-breaded chicken. More than a campaign, it’s an organizing idea shaping how the brand shows up across menu, value, loyalty and social — all designed to deepen emotional connection and build fandom.
Turning products into cultural moments
Across markets, teams are also rethinking how menu innovation can drive relevance and growth.
In Brazil, KFC transformed sauces from a simple add-on into a headline act. The team introduced oversized “bucket” formats of sauces — designed for sharing, dipping and indulgence — and launched them through a digital-first, influencer-led campaign. Timed with cultural moments like Mustache Day, the activation encouraged fans to engage in fun, social ways while trying the new products.
The result: a surge in engagement and a significant increase in bucket sales, along with stronger relevance among younger consumers. More importantly, it showed how a simple product idea, when rooted in culture and amplified digitally, can become a true brand moment.
Elsewhere in Latin America and the Caribbean, teams are scaling similar ideas across markets by grouping countries into clusters based on shared cultural cues. This approach allows campaigns to stay locally relevant while benefiting from regional scale, helping the brand move faster and connect more deeply with consumers across 38 diverse markets.
Winning with the next generation
Beyond campaigns and menus, MPMs also focused on how consumer behavior is evolving — especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Insights from Yum!’s internal agency, Collider, highlighted how AI is changing the way people make decisions, with younger consumers increasingly expecting curated, frictionless experiences. At the same time, food culture is shifting toward snacking, customization and “always-on” consumption.
For KFC, that means rethinking everything from ordering experiences to menu structure, creating simpler, more intuitive journeys and building new occasions that fit into modern lifestyles.
One system, shared momentum
While each market brought its own perspective, the common thread across MPMs was clear: KFC’s strength lies in its ability to operate as one global system while unlocking creativity at the local level.
From the UKI’s focus on transactions and brand belief to Australia’s emotional storytelling and LA&C’s culture-first innovation, teams are building on what works and sharing those learnings across the system to scale impact faster.
The opportunity ahead is significant. KFC is playing in a growing category, backed by strong franchise partners, global capabilities and a clear strategy.
As Turner put it, “The sky is the limit for what we can do at KFC.”
And coming out of this year’s MPMs, the message from teams around the world is just as clear: they’re all in.
